Our 45,000 square foot facility, located in the heart of Houston, Texas, is home to our incredible team of passionate fabricators and subject matter specialists who each bring their individual skills and expertise to bear on every aspect of our work.
Over the next few years we continued to collaborate. Logan started renting part of Troy’s small shop (where Troy also lived, CNC machine separated from his bedroom by only a thin wall) and after a year or so they decided to go in on a larger space together. And that was how, in 2014, “Root Lab LLC” was born— the result of a lot of sweat and just the right amount of necessity— the root of it all.
Not long after, Logan and Troy were able to convince Eric that we should "form like Voltron" and become stronger than the sum of our parts. We realized that as a team we could accomplish great things so we joined our efforts under one roof.
We each started separately doing small projects– furniture, welding and artwork for ourselves and for our friends-turned-first-clients. We hired our first assistants. We began working together on larger and more complex projects. The team grew. Our clients went from individuals, to small businesses, to larger businesses, and then cultural institutions and city municipalities. We continued to build our amazing team along the way. We began to learn the best means, materials and methods to make things beautiful, practical and durable.
During that era, we intentionally didn’t specialize– if a project seemed like a fun challenge, we’d take it on. We designed and built custom wood and steel furniture for many private clients. We took on large-scale structural and architectural welding projects like shade structures, steel window systems and hefty custom doors for storefronts. We used parametric design to create unique outdoor seating systems that bridged the gap between sculpture and traditional site furnishings for shopping centers, libraries and parks. We built a custom half pipe in 24 hours for a famous rapper. We contributed key custom elements to many, many hospitality concepts. We were brought in to build intricate elements for museum exhibitions. We fabricated and erected monumental signage for shopping centers and creative spaces. We built a custom steel and SIP panel jewel box building from the ground up. We collaborated with other artists and engineers on large-scale public art for university campuses. We designed, permitted and remodeled a seventy-year-old 7500-square-foot warehouse into a high-end cocktail bar and beautiful event space.
With each project, our team grew and our capabilities expanded. We pushed our limits and took opportunities in the exhibition fabrication world. Soon we found ourselves working more and more in this realm. We loved the challenges and scale of these types of projects.
Exhibitions require the design, planning and execution skills that we’ve honed over the last ten years as rootlab, and for many years previous as designers, fabricators and artists. We bring with us all the lessons, means and methods we've acquired during all the weird projects of our past. Today our team and our capabilities are bigger and better than ever before.
Rootlab is not easily defined because the only thing that has been constant from the beginning is change– we’re continually evolving to meet the needs of our clients, collaborators and team.
There are limitless possibilities, let’s build something unforgettable!
Logan was an okay artist who became a not-half-bad fabricator who is now an adequate designer and (jury’s out on the adjective) entrepreneur. He loves dogs and gardening. He hates losing at chess. He can’t remember much from before rootlab, but according to records he has a B.A. in Visual Arts from Rice University.
Logan was an okay artist who became a not-half-bad fabricator who is now an adequate designer and (jury’s out on the adjective) entrepreneur. He loves dogs and gardening. He hates losing at chess. He can’t remember much from before rootlab, but according to records he has a B.A. in Visual Arts from Rice University.
Troy refused to give any bio information so this bio was constructed from information gained from many years of observation and interaction with the subject. Troy is an accomplished visual artist, an avid mountain biker and a deep thinker. Despite what it may seem, he actually really likes you. He has a B.F.A. in Visual Arts from University of Houston.
Troy refused to give any bio information so this bio was constructed from information gained from many years of observation and interaction with the subject. Troy is an accomplished visual artist, an avid mountain biker and a deep thinker. Despite what it may seem, he actually really likes you. He has a B.F.A. in Visual Arts from University of Houston.
Al is an engineer and fabricator with a love for adventure and all things made. In his seven years with rootlab, Al has touched almost every corner of the company. Starting as an assistant fabricator, he now programs a 6-axis robot arm and leads the digital fabrication team. He is passionate and arguably too granular about CNC machining, the built environment, topography, and trees. In his downtime you can find him biking through dense forests and swimming in crisp lakes in Western Washington.
Al is an engineer and fabricator with a love for adventure and all things made. In his seven years with rootlab, Al has touched almost every corner of the company. Starting as an assistant fabricator, he now programs a 6-axis robot arm and leads the digital fabrication team. He is passionate and arguably too granular about CNC machining, the built environment, topography, and trees. In his downtime you can find him biking through dense forests and swimming in crisp lakes in Western Washington.
Andrew is a transplant from California who found rootlab and settled his family in Houston. He loves outdoor activities such as soccer and dirtbike riding and playing music in his spare time.
Andrew is a transplant from California who found rootlab and settled his family in Houston. He loves outdoor activities such as soccer and dirtbike riding and playing music in his spare time.
Wood Gremlin. Prefers tiny beers.
Wood Gremlin. Prefers tiny beers.
Juan spends his spare time riding bikes yet to be designed, searching for awesome horror and sci-fi movies, and torturing his brain cells with mind-bending facts about quantum mechanics and the universe. He also loves beer and being outdoors.
Juan spends his spare time riding bikes yet to be designed, searching for awesome horror and sci-fi movies, and torturing his brain cells with mind-bending facts about quantum mechanics and the universe. He also loves beer and being outdoors.
Cinthia loves cats, plants, going to thrift stores and gory things. In another life she would been a botanist.
Cinthia loves cats, plants, going to thrift stores and gory things. In another life she would been a botanist.
Michael bought a truck.
Michael bought a truck.
Ryan is an industrial designer with a passion for all things automotive. When he’s not at work you can normally find him out on the trails in a big green jeep.
Ryan is an industrial designer with a passion for all things automotive. When he’s not at work you can normally find him out on the trails in a big green jeep.
Sean is a Mechanical engineer with experience in product design and manufacturing. Enjoys hobbies including photography, camping, and biking.
Sean is a Mechanical engineer with experience in product design and manufacturing. Enjoys hobbies including photography, camping, and biking.
Aidan is from Seattle, WA. Moved to Houston be closer to his daughter. Studied at California College of Arts in Oakland, CA. Side hustle is scrap metal sculptures. Enjoys sourcing metal materials for sculptures at various junkyards/scrapyards, flea markets, second stores, abandoned warehouses, train yards, trash cans, etc.
Aidan is from Seattle, WA. Moved to Houston be closer to his daughter. Studied at California College of Arts in Oakland, CA. Side hustle is scrap metal sculptures. Enjoys sourcing metal materials for sculptures at various junkyards/scrapyards, flea markets, second stores, abandoned warehouses, train yards, trash cans, etc.
